Glimpses of the Past: June 8-14

One of the top attractions at the annual bazaar of Our Lady of Charity Monastery and School, Porlier Street and S. Webster Avenue, is the all-day and evening concerts by the Sisters Magdalens Brass Band.

Under the direction of Charles Van Caster, veteran Green Bay bandsman, the 20-piece brass ensemble plays an extensive repertoire. This is the only public appearance of the band each year. It serves a valuable purpose throughout the year, however, in the recreation hours at this cloistered monastery.

The Magdalens have played standard numbers, marches and polkas so often they can and will play requests from the audiences for old favorite tunes.

The annual open-air bazaar each year is for the Sisters Building Fund. The Order acquired property at the West city limits some years ago and are now accumulating the funds they must have to begin building there.

June 9, 1934

Plans for the epic historical pageant "Under Three Flags," depicting Wisconsin's 300-year history, will be the central attraction at the Tercentennial celebration at Bay Beach Park this summer. Dr. John R. Minahan was elected chairman of the committee and Miss Margaret McMahon secretary.

The committee, one of the most important among the scores of committees now working to make the celebration one of the most impressive ever staged in the state, laid plans for the recruiting of the cast of more than 550 persons needed to enact the pageant, written by Dr. Louise Phelps Kellogg, historian, in collaboration with Susan B. Davis, Wisconsin author.

Of the cast of 550 players who will enact scenes depicting the early history of the Northwest Territory, colorfully and correctly costumed, not more than 60 will have major roles, characterizing prominent figures in that history.

June 10, 1959

Johnny Mayasich, the golden boy of American senior hockey, is the new coach of the Green Bay Bobcats.

Signing of the gifted former Minnesota All-American and ex-Olympic hero as player coach for the 1959-60 Mid-America League season was announced today by Donald M. Clark, Bobcats general manager.

Mayasich, leading scorer for the United States Olympic squad in the 1956 Winter Games in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, succeeds former Detroit Red Wing Anthony J. (Tony) Bukovich, who has returned to business in his native Houghton, Mich.

Pleased with the assignment, Mayasich calls it "a thrill and a privilege to have been appointed coach of the Bobcats."

June 11, 1935

Park Superintendent L. Earle Foglesong is to confer with officials of the Roller Coaster Corporation, owners of the ride at Bay Beach Park, to see whether they will give the board a release so that the structure may be torn down with FERA labor. The corporation has said it does not wish to run the coaster this year, and the park board does not care to operate the ride itself. Its operation for the past several years has been at a loss, and the insurance costs have been increasing each year, it was brought out.

The park board received a communication from Mr. and Mrs. F.B. Seymour, in appreciation of the board's action in renaming Slough Park as Frank B. Seymour Park.

June 12, 1959

For the third time this spring, a tornado funnel was spotted near Green Bay Thursday.

A funnel cloud, which failed to do much damage, roared over the end of the east-west runway of De Pere's Nicolet Airport about 2 o'clock Thursday afternoon. The only damage was to a few trees at the end of the runway.

Bev Butler, airport manager, said the twister "looked like a long, white snake - 3,000 feet long, which slowly disappeared into a thundercloud." As it whirled off toward Preble to the northeast, the base rose to 300 feet off the ground.

Three reports of the funnel cloud were made to the U.S. Weather Station here. They extended from 2:02, when it was seen at Nicolet Airport, to 2:15, when it was last reported southeast of Allouez, according to weatherman Herb Bomalaski.

June 13, 1941

More than 2,500 workers, members of their families and friends are expected to attend the annual Northern Paper Mills picnic at the Brown County Fairgrounds Saturday. The outing, which starts with a street parade and ends with a dance at Riverside Ballroom, is conducted by the Welfare and Safety Club of the firm.

At 9 o'clock tomorrow morning, the picnickers who will participate in the parade will leave the mill. The parade will go west on Main Street, south on Washington, east on Mason and south on Monroe Avenue out of Green Bay and into De Pere. Prizes will be awarded for outstanding floats.

Many of the mill workers spend several months at work on floats in preparation for the parade, it was stated by Joseph Frechette, chairman of the picnic committee. Thomas Blake, president of the Welfare and Safety Club, announced that this year's parade will be bigger than any other.

June 14, 1948

Brown County's famous Cotton House will be visited by its most illustrious former resident Tuesday, when Robert E. Woodruff, president of the Erie Railroad, pays a call there.

The Erie president is coming to Green Bay as the guest of Homer E. McGee, president of the Green Bay and Western lines, to attend the annual golf outing of the Green Bay Traffic Club at the Oneida course. A native of Brown County, he returns to his birthplace as the head of one of the major rail systems of the east.

Born on a farm in the Town of Bellevue, his family moved into the Cotton House in Allouez while he was a boy. He attended elementary school here, and later his family moved to Benton Harbor, Mich., where he was graduated from high school. He received his civil engineering degree from Purdue in 1905.

— Information from the Brown County Library

DE PERE

15 years ago – 2000

Celebrate De Pere weekend was enjoyed by 50,000 people in the park and at the Memorial Day parade.

20 years ago – 1995

An estimated 30,000 people attended the rain-marred Celebration 105 festivities, less than a third of the 100,000 expected if the weather had cooperated better. Concerts by nationally known bands Survivor and Cheap Trick were shortened by rain.

• Main Avenue became a two-way street between Fourth Street and the Claude Allouez Bridge because of the construction on Reid, Third and Fourth streets.

25 years ago – 1990

Huge crowds attended De Pere's Centennial celebration held during Memorial Day weekend. It was termed such a success that it was decided to make it an annual event.

30 years ago – 1985

The Woman's Club of De Pere observed its 75th anniversary.

40 years ago – 1975

Leslie J. Smith was named a Paul Harris Fellow by De Pere Rotary Club. The club hosted the District 622 Rotary Conference attended by more than 350 people.

45 years ago – 1970

Mayor Roger Rebman broke a tie vote of the Common Council to extend Front Street through Wells Park.

• The population of the city was 13,145, according to preliminary census reports.

• Vandals entered De Pere High School and did damage throughout the agricultural department. An estimated $128 in cash was taken.

• Members of St. John Lutheran Church in Wrightstown celebrated the centennial of the founding of the parish.

50 years ago – 1965

Col. John H. Glenn, America's first astronaut, was given an honorary degree at a commencement exercise at St. Norbert College. Glenn also was the commencement speaker.

70 years ago – 1945

S/Sgt. James J. Francken, son of Martin Francken, was killed in action in Luzon.

• Mr. and Mrs. Alphonse DeVleeschower received word that their son, Pfc. Ervin A. DeVleeschower, died in the Philippines after he previously was reported missing in action.

80 years ago – 1935

Widening and replacing old cracked roadway of Broadway from the south city limits to the north city limits was completed. The total cost of the project was $17,000.

• Governor LaFollette signed into law William J. Sweeney's bill, which required all Wisconsin restaurants to serve two-thirds ounce of butter and two-thirds ounce of cheese with every 25-cent meal.

95 years ago – 1920

Mrs. Ellen Lawton Wilson was named to the board of education, the first De Pere woman to hold that post. Her appointment was made at the request of the Woman's Club.

100 years ago – 1915

Fifty men and boys were fishing nightly for pike with dip nets at the dam.

• John McHugh sold his creamery at Oconto Falls and moved his family to De Pere.

• The water in the Fox and Devil rivers was the lowest in eight years because of no snow and lack of rain.

• Work was started on John Willems' new store building on Main Avenue.